Protected Planet Report 2018 goes digital25 December 2018: The latest Protected Planet report – produced by the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, IUCN and the National Geographic Society – was released at the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP14).

APAP Steering Committee Meeting confirms partnership is on track 23 December 2018: The 4th APAP Steering Committee meeting, held in Bangkok from 12 to 13 July 2018, affirmed that the partnership is continuing to make significant progress. The Steering Committee meeting was the largest in APAP’s history, with participants from 11 Member countries in attendance, as well as IUCN Regional Councillors and representatives from the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and Global Protected Areas Programme, amongst others.

MEMBER UPDATE: Local communities bring markhor back to Chitral Gol National Park, Pakistan11 December 2018: Pakistan lies at the crossroads of three zoogeographic regions, and its diverse geography, soil, and climate give the country a rich diversity of fauna and flora. Located in the lofty mountains of the Hindukush, the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is famous for supporting the largest wild population of markhor, classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Chitral Gol National Park was established in 1984 to protect this species and others.

Sabah Parks, Malaysia, joins APAP11 December 2018: APAP welcomed Sabah Parks of Sabah, Malaysia, as its newest Member in September. The 54-year-old organisation brings to APAP a wealth of experience in managing a range of different landscapes and ecosystems and is considered a role model in tropical biodiversity management.

Raising APAP’s profile on the global stage at 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference4 December 2018: On 21 November, APAP organised a side event at the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP14) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. At the event, APAP shared some of the lessons learned from the partnership and explored its role in helping achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Despite the late hour and distant venue, the side event drew a packed crowd of some 60 people.

MEMBER UPDATE: Skills-based Volunteering in Korea National Parks26 October 2018: A Skills-based Volunteering Programme has been launched in Korea National Parks to promote involvement in national park management. Volunteers who have knowledge, skills, talents and experience in park management participate in pro bono activities in Korea National Parks, and are called “Honorary Park Rangers.”

MEMBER UPDATE: National Park Citizens’ College an education programme for local people26 October 2018: National Park Citizens’ College, the education programme that aims to enhance local people’s understanding of their neighbouring national parks, has been run by the Korea National Park Service (KNPS) since 2008. The two-month programme consists of a field experience component and ten lectures on the various aspects of national parks. These range from management systems and policy to natural and cultural resource management. Since its first delivery at Seoraksan National Park in 2008, 16 Korean national parks have adopted this programme and now run it annually. Between 2008 and 2017, 3,605 people participated in the National Park Citizens’ College.

MEMBER UPDATE: Learning from each other and building friendship between Asian protected areas managers26 October 2018: The Korea National Park Friendship Program (KNPFP), which the Korea National Park Service (KNPS) has been conducting annually since 2014, took place this year between 3 and 30 June 2018. This year, 13 protected area managers from Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand – nine of whom represented Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) members – participated. The programme’s aim is to form cooperative relationships with overseas protected area management agencies, and to provide opportunities for overseas park rangers to gain firsthand experience in national park management.

New State Member and first ever Associate Member join APAP18 April 2018: Two new members have joined APAP since the beginning of 2018. In January, The State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFA) of the People’s Republic of China became APAP’s newest Country Member; and in March, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) joined as its very first Associate Member.

MEMBER UPDATE: Korea Database on Protected Areas launched30 March 2018: The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea (MOEK) and Korea National Park Service (KNPS) have developed the Korea Database on Protected Areas (KDPA) as a means to organise and compile national data on protected areas. The standardised nature of the database is expected to help improve the effectiveness of policymaking process related to protected areas.

MEMBER UPDATE: Korea National Park Friendship Program for 201830 March 2018: As part of an initiative to form cooperative relationships with overseas protected area management agencies, the Korea National Park Service (KNPS) has been conducting its Korea National Park Friendship Programme (KNPFP) annually since 2014. The KNPFP aims to provide opportunities for overseas park rangers to gain on-the-ground experience in national park management through exchange with Korea’s national park professionals.

Q & A: Minsun Kim talks APAP and the importance of sharing knowledge28 March 2018: Following the third Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) Technical Workshop in Bhutan, IUCN Asia had the opportunity to sit down with Minsun Kim, who recently joined the IUCN Asia Regional Office in Bangkok as Programme Officer for Protected Areas. Minsun is on a special secondment from the Korea National Park Service – a proud supporter of APAP – and has a particular responsibility to assist with the development and operation of APAP.

APAP to hold technical event on human-wildlife conflict6 October 2017: From 5-8 November, the Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) will be hosting a technical workshop on human-wildlife conflict (HWC). This is the third technical workshop that APAP has hosted since its inception in 2013. The learning event will take place in Bhutan, a country that has already developed a National Strategy on Human-Wildlife Conflict, and participants will include representatives from APAP member organisations.

Asia Protected Areas Partnership Poised to Enter New Phase18 September 2017: Regional collaboration on protected areas in Asia continued to gather momentum on a number of fronts, with the announcement of several new developments at the 3rd Steering Committee meeting for the Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) in Bangkok, Thailand, on 2 and 3 August 2017.

Invitation to Propose Sites: Conservation Finance Incubator9 June 2017: IUCN is seeking to partner with protected and conserved areas to seek and learn ways to improve conservation financing. We are looking for partner sites that already participate in the IUCN Green List, or otherwise demonstrate a strong commitment to effective and equitable management and conservation.

Asia Protected Areas Partnership continues to gain momentum6 October 2016: APAP is making significant headway for protected areas with the adoption of the APAP constitution, alongside several other developments including the finalisation of its logo and welcoming of its newest members, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in India, and the Forest Department of the Ministry of Mahaweli Environment and Development, Sri Lanka.

Q & A: Expert tips on protected area management, and a shout out to rangers22 July 2016: At a recent APAP Steering Committee meeting, IUCN Asia had the opportunity to speak to Ignace Schopps, President of the EUROPARC Federation, the largest network on natural heritage in Europe, during which he shared EUROPARC's achievements and what APAP can do to achieve similar success.

Two new members join the Asia Protected Areas Partnership26 October 2015: APAP has continued to gather momentum in recent months with the addition of two new members, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests of the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Wildlife Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Collaborating on protected area management20 September 2015: APAP is featured in a side event at IUCN's 6th Asia Regional Conservation Forum to promote APAP to IUCN Members and to gain feedback on its future activities.